At the dawn of the 21st century, Vermont holds a special place in the emotions
of many Americans. Its classic New England villages, modern ski resorts and natural beauty draw 4.5 million tourists every year. Products with the made-in-Vermont label fly off store shelves far beyond the state's borders, capitalizing on the region's image of purity.
But the reality of life in the Green Mountains is and always has been more complicated than the white steeples and maple syrup ads suggest. A Vermont Century takes an honest, affectionate look at the radical changes this rural state has confronted in the last 100 years. With more than 200 engaging photographs and three dozen essays, A Vermont Century goes beyond the image to describe the real Vermont.
From the arrival of the interstate to the use of bulk tanks on dairy farms, 20thcentury
technology has both benefited Vermont and threatened its rural ways. The state that once consisted of hardscrabble hill farms now worries about traffic congestion, suburban sprawl and the erosion of the Yankee values and traditions
that helped define it.
In A Vermont Century, historic photographs capture political figures such as Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in Vermont. Calvin Coolidge is shown splitting wood at his family homestead in Plymouth Notch, where his father swore him in as president after the death of President Harding in 1923.
Hardcover.